Hyderabad Literary Festival 2024: A fusion of art, literature and science

Hyderabad: The fourteenth edition of the Hyderabad Literary Festival will be held at Sattva Knowledge City and District 150, near Durgam Cheruvu, in the city from January 26 to 28. The free event will be an annual gathering of more than two hundred speakers, authors, artists, researchers, and publishers from India and abroad.

Offering a platform to celebrate Indian literature, culture, and art, the event this time has added three new streams— indigenous and endangered languages, climate conversations, and science and the city— to the existing 12 streams including screenings of documentaries and short films, workshops, art and photo exhibits, book launches, Kaavya Dhaara, storytelling, Youngistaan Nukkad and Nanha Nukkad.

Festival directors Amita Desai and Vijay Kumar speaking to the media on Thursday, said, “We are thrilled to incorporate dedicated streams for science and climate discussions. While we’ve explored these topics before, adding stalls and a deeper engagement is particularly exciting.”

While ‘Odia’ has been chosen as the ‘Indian Language in Focus’, Norway is the ‘Country in Focus’ for HLF 2024. The festival will showcase diverse themes encompassing advertising, biographies, children’s writing, films, gender, identity politics, sports, nationalism, and more.

Renowned speakers, including Sashi Tharoor, Krish Ashok, Rohan Chakravarthy, Aakar Patel, Ashwin Sanghi, Adivi Sesh, Astri Gosh, Yascha Mounk, Prahlad Kakar, Gurucharan Das, among others, are set to be part of the festival.

In collaboration with the Hyderabad Metro and SVIDA, a free shuttle service is available from the Raidurg metro station to the venue every 15 minutes. Complete schedule can be checked at https://www.hydlitfest.org/

Indigenous and endangered languages

Over a dozen indigenous poets, storytellers, writers, artists, folklorists, and researchers from Gondi, Kui, Oraon, Santhali and other languages are taking part in the event, celebrating India’s linguistic diversity.

Bringing in inclusivity

In a workshop, visually challenged artist Aishwarya Pillai imparts the skill of 3D tactile painting to those with sight. Additionally, The Drama Association of Deaf and Queer-Trans Wellness & Support Center collaborates on an innovative theatre project.

Local stories and exhibitions

Curator Amshu Chukki will assemble the artworks of 12 students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to form a comprehensive exhibition. A sneak peek of the Indian Photo Festival will be showcased within a specially curated bus situated at the event. The interlude titled ‘Finding Feet’ showcases dance performances intertwined with poignant poetry readings, immersing the audience in the lively facets of Hyderabad.